It’s been a while since I’ve had a new angel deck, so when this one came across my desk I was super excited to dive in. This deck that we’ll be checking out is The Guardian Angel Oracle by Chrissie Astell.
One thing that I always feel a need to point out when I do anything with angel cards is that the angels are non-denominational. It doesn’t matter if you’re Pagan, Wiccan, witch or an alien from the planet Kepler-10c. Everyone can work with the angels.
I could easily spend this whole post just talking about that, but we have a deck to review! So I’ll just say throw these couple of things at you.
The angels are beings of pure energy – light and love – that have never been incarnated in physical form. They existed before man created religion and they are open to connecting with all people who want to connect with them. They work to deliver messages, guidance, and healing to us, acting as a sort of bridge between us and the Divine.
So while you will most often see the angels talked about in Christian or Catholic terms, they do not belong to those religions or any other.
I am 100% Witch and I’ve been actively working with the angels since 2007 and they have been invaluable spiritual partners. So trust me, if you want to get to know them they will work to get to know you.
And what better way to do that then oracle cards!
About The Deck
The Guardian Angel Oracle by Chrissie Astell is a 52 card oracle deck with card divided into four groupings (aka suits) based on four of the archangels – Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Each of these card groups features a card for that specific archangel along with 12 cards that represent aspects of their energies and ways that they are able to help us.
The deck comes with an 80 page book that gives a very brief introduction to the angels along with suggestions on how to use the cards. There are a few reading spreads provided, but like any deck of oracle or tarot cards, you can create your own spreads or use them with other spreads you love.
There is one spread in the book that I love called All The Archangels. For this spread, you remove the archangel cards and place them in a four point compass pattern. Then while focusing on your question and intention you pull one card to lay across each archangel card. As you read the cards you use the archangel as the focus and the card on top as the message. Think of this as the archangel representing the position in the reading spread.
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On the left are the four archangel cards in the deck. On the right is a sampling of what you’ll find in the book for the card meanings.
About The Cards
The cards measure about 2.5” x 4.5” making them a nice size for pretty much anyone to handle. I know for me large cards can be tricky. These are a little smaller than the standard tarot card size but still a nice size for a deck.
The Guardian Angel Oracle cards are sturdy and not at all flimsy like a lot of decks have been lately. They have a nice smooth finish and shuffle really nice. So far after about a month of use, they aren’t showing any bending at all and there haven’t been any chipped or bent corners or edges either.
The art is nice. It’s not anything super spectacular and not something that would necessarily attract me to the deck, but it’s not something that really stands out. One thing that is nice on every card is that there is a silver metallic accent. In some cards, it’s stars, in others its accents on the feathers or clothing of the angels.
I do find the overall look and feel is a little inconsistent throughout the deck. Some of the cards feature the angels in various settings, participating in different activities. In one card an angel sits dangling her feet in a bright blue pond, in another an angel sits in a green meadow with leaves blowing around her, and yet another holds a map standing at the bottom of a set of mossy stone steps as she shields her eyes from the sun looking up in the direction she needs to walk.
But then there are other cards where an angel holds a flower garland with a plain blue and green background. Another has an angel blowing a horn agains a plain dark blue background with another showing an angel aiming with a bow and arrow against an orange background.
While it isn’t a horrible thing I just find it odd. Why are some angels interacting with the world around them and others seem to just be in empty spaces?
Reading With The Cards
I’ve done a few readings with clients, a few Instagram posts, and a few readings for myself with the cards and I really like this deck. The energies and intentions covered in the deck and way it is divided up by four archangels is really nice. When I do a reading I pay attention to which angel suit may be showing up the most and which may be missing entirely. I have found this to be super helpful in guiding the readings.
Like with any angel deck the way you feel about using these cards is going to depend on how you work with the angels and how you approach angel cards. I have loved using The Guardian Angel Oracle for all kinds of readings because there is a nice broad amount of issues and energies represented.
If you work with the angels beyond just readings, these cards would be great for magick and meditation. In the cards, each of the angels is doing something that connects well visually to the intention of the card. For example, while you’re working on making some big decisions you might want to keep out the Direction card along with a piece of amethyst to help open your intuition to the angel’s guidance to make a final choice.
My Final Thoughts
I definitely like this deck and I feel it’s a wonderful substitute for Doreen Virtue’s decks. A fair number of people decided to no longer support her after she became a born-again Christian and denounced the new age and magickal communities, going so far as to call some of her decks spiritually “deceptive and dangerous.” If you liked her cards but wanted to find something similar to use instead, I would definitely recommend The Guardian Angel Oracle.
This is also a great deck if you’re new to angels or even just new to oracle cards. It’s gentle but not lacking in depth. They feel good in your hands and the art is nice enough to certainly active your intuition.
This would also be a great deck for younger readers. I get asked about decks for kids that are curious after watching their parents or a relative use cards, but they want something that isn’t going to be intimidating or scary, which tarot can be for some young kids. The Guardian Angel Oracle would be a great first oracle deck, especially for a child that is already familiar with or believed in angels. The size is right and the vibe is perfect.
Interested in picking this deck up? Grab it over on Amazon!
(If you choose to purchase this deck through the link above, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional. These commissions help to support my blog, so thank you!)
Watkins Publishing provided me with a copy of The Guardian Angle Oracle for this review. The opinions I shared about using this deck are my own, and Watkins Publishing did not tell me what to say or how to say it, nor did they provide any monetary compensation for this review.
